Gutsy V6 performance, good looks, comfortable leather seats and lots of amenities for under $24K

No locking gas cap or power (retractable) antenna. Rear visibility could be better, Firestone tires.

A great car so far. Handles well on all kinds of roads, very fun to drive but also practical enough for a family. Terrific performance, a large trunk and unique looks set it apart from the blandness of Camry, Accord and other best-selling cars.

Similar Products Used:

I used to have an Accord, and I think the Saturn L300 is more fun to drive, more comfortable and quicker.

- Strong V6 Engine with horsepower to spare
- European styling (*Love* the front end!)
- Default stero sounds excellent
- Tons of room in the seats and in the trunk
- Comfortable seats

- Interior feels cheap (should be made out of better quality materials)
- Pedals are much too close together
- Back end sticks up higher than it should (slightly reduced visibility)
- Gas mileage could be slightly better (even for a V6)

This is my first new car, and I couldn't have made a better decision than to buy an L300. The V6 engine is amazing! I've passed 18 wheelers on the interstate with no problems. I also like to pull away from "the rest of the pack" at green lights when I have the opportunity - again, no problem.

The interior feels and looks a bit cheaper than it should, but if Saturn would make the effort to use better quality materials, I'm sure this complaint would go away. Also, the rear end sticks up a bit more than I expected it to (even during the initial test drive), so I had to find the right seat height and mirror adjustment to compensate...and it's still not as good as I would like it to be.

This car is a blast to drive anywhere...Interstate driving is most fun however, because the car really shines when driving fast. The seats are very comfortable for some short road trips (about 110 miles each way), and I really find excuses to drive whenever I can.

While it's not a Benz or BMW (and doesn't pretend to be), for a first new car, I find it to be very luxurious for the price - and that's what it's all about - personal satisfaction with the car.

I'd recommend this car to anyone (please get the V6 - I've test driven the 4, and it just doesn't compare at all in terms of raw power.) If they continue to improve the car, I'll definitely consider another Saturn L Series when the time comes.

Similar Products Used:

Ford Taurus

Powerful V6
Lots of room

Little problems here and there.

I really enjoy driving the car. The engine is "peppy" and help from going from point A to point B really fast and with some luxury.
Plenty of room for a person like me (6'5").
Little problems;
The engine key didn`t want to turn. Need to change the lock.
A lot of plastic, rust free, but the panels are not perfectly alligned.

Overall, the engine really helped me enjoy any rides with this car. One thing to change in the future;
the transmission, similar to a SAAB, is sometime slow to respond under cold wheather conditions.

Similar Products Used:

Mazda 626

Have had LS2 for almost 18 months; one of fist cars sold at dealership. Fun to drive; 6 cylinder is peppy, responsive & suprisingly gets good gas mileage. Lot of legroom in back seat. Trunk is large without a big overhang. Good sound in radio & CD & son hasn't blown speakers yet.
Why is Saturn so modest about advertising their product? Only reference to the LS@ is a V6 plate on the rear bumper.

Small gas tank on 2000 LS2 (changed to 16+ gallon on 2001), oil filter extremely difficult to reach, so because of recommended 3000 mile interval have been supporting Jiffy Lube. Remote keyless entry quirky; have replaced mechanism under warranty.

Price was right. With over 24K miles so far, no problems except keyless remote. Can't believe Saturn let would sell a V6 with a 13 gallon gas tank. Thankfully they've corrected this. Waiting for the VUE in September; looks like they'll have a winner with that too.

Similar Products Used:

No comparison to my 1990 Plymouth Acclaim

Price ,handling,trunk space,comfortable seats,and overall gas milage.Superior audio system

Position of ignition switch,noisey Firestone tires.Unlighted fan switch and position of horn switch buttons.

Have had afewminor problems which were quickley fixed by the dealer.Defective brake switch,which rendered the cruise control to fail. Made 2 trips to NY and achieved excellent gas milage with the use of cruise control.Ranged from 27 to 38 mpg with air conditioning on.We have the large 4 cyl.

Similar Products Used:

Toyota Camry.I feel that the LS1 is by far a better bargain price wise

Good engine for a four cylinder
plastic panels
hanling, ride, and braking similar to Japanese rivals

Interior fit and finish

I have yet to encounter reliability problems that many have spoken about here. The car is 1 year old now and has about 9,000 miles. Overall, i am pleased with this car. It compares pretty well to my 98 Accord LX. Both have four cylinders, but the Saturn is about one second quicker from 0-60 (according to consumer reports, specs were 9.5 sec. for Saturn, 10.6 sec. for Honda). Wind noise is a little more pronounced in the Saturn, but that doesnt bother me because i usually have the radio on. I think the seats are very confortable, but the rest of the interior is a little behind its Japanese rivals. The passenger door rattles from time to time, along with the fake wood console that houses the radio and other controls. Fit and Finish is definately where American car companies need to improve in order to close the gap with their foreign rivals. But, is there an American family sedan where rattles aren't common? Braking is about similar to the Accord. Handling feel is very similar in the two cars. Both are heavier in turns at slow speeds, and lighter in turns at higher speeds. As for the ride, again the two cars feel similar overall. Overall the Saturn is a pleasing package. It has a distinctive look, yet it is still easy on the eyes, and also looks a little less plain then the Camry and Accord. If your looking for a domestically made family sedan that compares with the Camry and Accord this is the best effort by America. It is superior to the Taurus, Malibu, and also the unsafe Grand Am, and Alero. Another good reason to buy this car is the dent resistent plastic panels, which come in very handy in the parking lots of Jerseys famous malls. Also, arent you tired of seeing Accords and Camrys every other car on the street.

Similar Products Used:

Honda Accord LX'98

-Value
-Roominess
-Handling/Ride
-Dashboard Layout
-Safety Features
-Trunk space
-Styling

-Cloth materials

As with most Saturns, you'll either love or hate this car. I like the L200 because of its european characteristics. The Saturn L Series is basically a detuned Opel from Germany. Thus for most Americans the ride will be firmer than desired, but it will exhibit great handling at all speeds. It has plenty of room for 4 adults (or three kids in the back seat).

I found the interior clean and simple. Often folks are critical, calling it dull. However, I found that controls were easy to find and clearly marked. The dashboard featured large, easy to read guages. I can't say enough about a clean layout. Try looking at a Pontiac Grand Am or Sunfire dashboard to see what I consider a terrible marriage of complexity and plastic (let alone the ugly plastic cladding they put all over the car). The location of the power window controls on the center console takes alittle getting used to, most likely done as a cost reduction (one set of controls).

Construction quality can be improved, not quite on par with Camry and Accord but not terrible either. I noted the quality of the cloth interior needing improvement. In particular the sill area of the driver door will look worn if you tend to rest your arm there with the window closed. I understand this is addressed in the 2002 model. Also, things like ABS and side curtain airbags should be standard (again addressed in 2002). Despite all this, I found my L200 to be a solid midsize, and a good value (I do get GM Supplier Pricing). Special financing packages as low as 0.9% help as well as any rebate out there. The grouping of options based on the L200 is decent, I wish the 6 cylinder engine was available on it (L300 only), and with a 5 speed manual too.

Lastly, the "Saturn Experience" was quite enjoyable. I don't mind haggling, but the experiences I had when trying to buy an Acura or Honda were terrible (as with purchasing most popular models). Not only was my sales consultant nice, she was very patient and understanding. I was able to test several different cars over a period of two weeks. Even when it came to financing the purchase, the finance guy did not pull any tricks (as possible in any buying experience).

Depending on the long term outcome of this car, I look forward to purchasing my next car from Saturn. If you are in the market for a good mid-size family sedan, and you don't want to spend more than the mid-20,000s for it, you should take a look. If you are considering a compact in the $18,000s, you should definitely look at an L-Series.

Similar Products Used:

Rodeo and Accord

-Gas Mileage: I've averaged about 350 mi/tank. I think that's pretty good, but I've just come away from owning a gas-guzzling truck.
-Handling/Breaking: Both pretty good, remembering that this car's heritage hails from Europe (the Opel Vectra, to be exact).
-Shifting: This car is a 5-speed (I've owned nothing but), and its fun to shift; really short throws.
-No-Frills Thrills: Even though this car is a base model, it looks and feels like something much more. I still can't believe I got so much car for what I paid (the .9 percent financing didn't hurt either).

-Overall Quality of Materials: The interior vinyl (dashboard, doors, etc.) are of better quality than most GM cars, but other things like the interior cloth (quite cheap), exterior door handles (I'm afraid that they may break off one day from the weight of the door), and that annoying air-conditioner on switch laid horizontally all detract from "the overall quality feel" quite a bit.
-Noises/Rattles/Guages: During cold starts, the engine will sometimes rev-up harder than usual and a noise that sounds like the cooling fan rubbing against something can be heard. The gauges will also flip up suddenly, as if the computer that's controlling them is going on a bend. There is also considerable wind noise on the driver's side door when driving at highway speeds.
-Computer controlled everything: Like the gauges....more stuff to short-circuit or break. Ahh, the old days of analog....

This was my first time purchasing a Saturn product. Before settling on the L100, I did some research and found that most people (including columnists) were generally happy with the car. I wanted to be sure that before I forked over some more money to GM (I previously had a bad experience with a Chevrolet, which drove me to owning nothing but Japanese cars) I was getting a car that was of decent quality. After 2855 miles in just over 2 months, I must say that I'm fairly impressed with the feel and ride of this car. The overall quality could have been better, but I could have fared far worse. Hopefully I will be feeling this jovial about the car a year from now.

Similar Products Used:

This 4-cyl car (in my opinion) accelerates better than the Camry 4-cyl. It also costs thousands less than comparably equipped Accords or Camrys.

- Great V6 engine
- European looks (based on Opel Vectra)
- Factory stereo sounds great
- Tons of room in the seats and in the trunk
- Great safety features (side curtain airbags, ABS/Traction control)
- Polymer panels (car looks brand new after a trip to the car wash)
- Comfortable seats

- Some parts of the interior look and feel cheaper than they should
- V6 engine doesn't come with an available 5 speed manual transmission
- Pedals are too close together
- Cheap, plastic "chrome" door handles
- Firestone Affinity HP tires are *HORRIBLE*
- Fabric where driver rests arm wears quickly
- Gas mileage could be slightly better
- Vent isn't very cool at all

This post is intended to replace my previous review of 2/4/01. I've now had about a year of experience, and I think I've gotten as much of the bad and good as I can.

First of all, I still feel that the L300 is an excellent car and an excellent value for the dollar against the competition. The V6 engine is strong, with horsepower to spare, especially at highway speeds.

I recently test drove a new 2002 L200, and I must say again - *PLEASE* consider the L300's V6 engine. The available 2.2 liter 4 cylinder engine in a midsize car like the L200 is just a crying shame. At highway speeds, It really struggled to go from 50 - 65, and then from 65 - 70 mph.

I've had a few minor issues, such as the plastic channels on either side of the windshield. The left one popped off at the top 2 different times, but they did eventually manage to get it to stay in place, and I haven't had any problems since.

The OEM tires...I was driving along the interstate, when my rear driver's side tire just literally came apart, and I was thankfully able to reach the side of the road safely. The tech who inspected the tire said it just came apart, and there was no sign of impact or damage. I highly recommend getting better tires, such as the Dunlop SP 5000 model.

I've recently been thinking about getting a manual transmission, and since the L300 doesn't come with one, I may be forced to go with a different make of car. When I asked around, it seemed like there weren't many vehicles available with a V6/stick combo, but here are the competitors I'm now considering: Toyota Camry, Camry Solara, Nissan Altima, Maxima. I've seen several models now, and if Saturn wants to stay competitive, I feel they should offer this option as well.

I still feel that parts of the L Series in general are built cheaply, and for the price paid, you should expect more. It's "affordable luxury", but the L300 is the top of the line model, and you shouldn't have to put up with a "chrome-looking" door handle which feels like (and probably is) plastic. Also, the rear of the center armrest compartment looks like...I don't know - like they wrapped a piece of plastic around and couldn't figure out how to seamlessly connect it. This is *very* cheap looking. I hope in future models they make this out of a single piece.

For all of the negative points I've mentioned (and the tires as they relate to Saturn is that they should just use different tires), I still feel that the car is *overall* well made, and if I wasn't considering a change of transmissions, I'd be keeping this car for a long time, because it's very dependable,has lots of power when needed, and I still really like how it looks.

The Saturn "No Hassle" policy was certainly true at my dealer, Saturn of Metairie. No pressure to buy a car "today", no "If I can...will you...?" questions. For people who want to enjoy their car buying experience, Saturn is the place to go. (I personally do like haggling once in awhile, so I may get the chance if I end up with a different make :)

If you're looking for an inexpensive midsize car, you can't go wrong with an L Series Saturn, which is still priced well below competing Japanese models. I'd definitely recommend this car to anyone.

Similar Products Used:

Toyota Camry Solara (V6) - Slightly *more* room than the L300 (which has a lot already.)
Ford Taurus (V6) - No contest, the L300 beats it easily.
Nissan Maxima (V6) - Saturn has much more legroom and looks more refined than the Maxima to me. Maxima does have good power though.